PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS IN REDUCING TABLET FRIABILITY AND THEIR EFFECT ON IN-VITRO DISSOLUTION

The tablet friability resulting from manufacturing process variations was studied for two differently sized tablets using the same formulation. Granulations containing lower moisture contents required higher compression and ejection forces to manufacture a tablet at a given hardness, although this did not influence friability. Increased tablet hardness (and to a lesser extent decreased tablet thickness) decreased the tablet friability of the larger tablet. An increase in the quantity of granulating fluid increased the granulation particle size and slightly improved compactibility without significantly affecting friability. Tablet dissolution increased as the quantity of granulating fluid was decreased. There was a strong interaction, with respect to dissolution, between moisture content and the amount of granulating fluid. Tablet hardness did not significantly influence dissolution. Doubling the quantity of magnesium stearate in the granulation in one tablet strength decreased the maximum tablet hardness that could be obtained, and for the other tablet strength increased friability. It also resulted in slower tablet dissolution.